Pale Male 2009

Artspace Johannesburg 2009

Pale Male: Sitting, Walking, Standing began as the process of casting my own body in the familiar stances of standing, sitting, walking. I rid myself of all adornments in these positions. The figures, drawings and a stop frame animated video interrogate the axiom that we come into the world empty handed and depart it equally empty handed.

The unknown, the unclear and the yet-to-be-discovered are mysteries that have intrigued me throughout life. Under the guidance of Wilma Cruise, who also uses the body as a vehicle of meaning, I explore the sense of being in the world, being part of it but yet not defined by it. The sculpted body and figures in space become metaphors for a spiritual condition.

Louis Olivier, August 2009